I’m not a huge fan of legal dramas, because I find them to do too much talking and quoting that almost always flies over my head. This was also why I was never really a huge fan of John Grisham when I was growing up, even though I read more than half a dozen of his legal thrillers. Lol. There’s just always too much jargon and so many things that when I try to follow, I find myself getting lost in all the big words. Hell, it’s easier to understand medical thrillers and complicated sci-fi like Tenet and Three-Body Problem before I can even begin to understand legal thrillers.
Maybe this is because they always enjoy quoting past cases that I know nothing about. They use previous real cases in line with their current cases to show when the legal system has backed a particular act or event. That way, it lends more credence to their case and may sway the judge in their favor. As I said, this is something that always confuses me, and for that, I find it hard to follow through.
But that was until I stumbled on legal k-drama. It was only then that I realized that Hollywood and South Korea approach legal storytelling differently. It’s usually as if they take their time to take the viewers by the hand and lead them through the process. The first one I watched was Devil Judge, and then Lawless Lawyer, which made me fall in love with the niche. I went on to watch other great ones like Doctor Lawyer as well.
The one I’m currently watching is Law And The City, which is airing at the moment. I just started it this week, so I’m still a few episodes behind, but so far, I’ve been taking the show slow and steady. No pressure. As usual, the writers of the show made it understandable and made us see many times what lawyers have to go through. Being a lawyer is not always about going to court and shouting, “Objection, My Lord!” It’s loads of paperwork, lots of aggrieved clients, lots of bad blood from the opposing counsel.
They also showed how two lawyers on opposing teams can be bitter rivals inside the court, but once outside, they’re just two colleagues who happen to work in the same industry. They hold no animosity towards each other, they simply do their jobs, and that’s it.
Watching this, I can see why many times, you hear of lawyers leaving private practice and going pro bono. Or doing pro bono from time to time, because when you’re private, it won’t matter what your client has done, you must defend them to the best of your ability. As long as they’ve hired you, you must defend them. No matter the crime, even if it’s a rapist, he gets a lawyer, and that lawyer must do his best to discredit the victim and try to get a favorable sentence.
That’s why in a functioning clime, Police officers and prosecutors are always careful about evidence and due process, because it can be easy for a known criminal to slip through the cracks just because of a simple mistake. Imagine a killer going free because the arresting officer forgot to read him his rights, or the officer got too incensed and beat him up. And all this is possible with the help of a lawyer. And many times, it gets to them. As a lawyer, it might be your duty to evict a poor widow and her little kids from their only home, and you’ll be able to do it due to having the backing of the law.
Many of them do all this, and they’re never really the same. Defending rapists, killers, and all sorts of criminals, it gets to a point where you’d no longer care if your client is guilty or not. As long as they need your service, they’re just another paycheck to you. That’s the only way to protect your conscience, because with every defense you do, you might be pushing a killer, a rapist, or even a pedophile back into society.
Am I saying the profession is a bad one? No. Because thankfully, the law that provides defense for killers and rapists also provides defense for innocents. Those who are falsely accused need the help of lawyers to make their case. The law is blind and just, but sometimes, it allows some douches to slip through. This show has made me realize that there is more to the legal world than shouting “Objection!” and “The People V Boniface Duru”.
It’s a profession that can take your soul. And it’s somewhat cursed, because the higher you go, the more you earn, the more you sell your soul. Because whether you like it or not, the people who actually need your help would not always be able to afford the exorbitant legal fees, it’s those who actually commit atrocities and try to run from the law that will be willing to pay big bucks to stay out of prison.
Life isn’t balanced at all… but sha, it is what it is!
